Potency of CRISPR-Cas Antifungals Is Enhanced by Cotargeting DNA Repair and Growth Regulatory Machinery at the Genetic Level.

ABSTRACT: The emergence of virulent, resistant, and rapidly evolving fungal pathogens poses a significant threat to public health, agriculture, and the environment. Targeting cellular processes with standard small-molecule intervention may be effective but requires long development times and is prone to antibiotic resistance. To overcome the current limitations of antibiotic development and treatment, this study harnesses CRISPR-Cas systems as antifungals by capitalizing on their adaptability, specificity, and efficiency in target design. The conventional design of CRISPR-Cas antimicrobials, based on induction of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), is potentially less effective in fungi due to robust eukaryotic DNA repair machinery. Here, we report a novel design principle to formulate more effective C

SUBMITTER: Mendoza BJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10714396 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature